As a homeowner, you might be wondering: How does Basement Waterproofing work and what are the exact methods of

getting a wet basement to be permanently dry? In order to answer these questions, one must understand just what exactly

a building foundation is.
 

The foundation can be defined as a crucial element of every structure that transfers the weight of the building to the ground. 
Whenever a structure is built, the soil gets excavated for the upcoming construction of the foundation. Typically, concrete footings
are formed and after that, the foundation walls are installed onto these footings. Depending on each individual house and its age (and therefore also the way it was constructed), the material of the foundation walls can vary. Foundations of newer houses are generally made with cinderblock or are formed with poured concrete whereas older house foundations were often built with brick or natural fieldstone. Without proper foundation waterproofing, the abovementioned materials have little to no water resistance capabilities. 

Once the construction of a foundation has been finished, weeping tiles are placed at the bottom of the foundation beside the footings. Older weeping tiles were designed to be placed in separate segments and were made out of clay. These weeping tiles were generally connected into the main drain line and were to act as exterior water drainage for the building foundation. Over time, due
to numerous factors (tree roots, soil clogging, excessive soil weight and pressure) these clay weeping tiles often become damaged, obsolete and no longer capable of functioning properly. As the soil around the building begins to collect water from rains or thawing snow, broken and non-functioning weeping tiles prevent the water in the soil to drain properly. This leads to volumes of water collecting in the soil and amassing at the building foundation, causing hydro-static water pressure that will eventually penetrate the
weakest spots in the foundation and will lead to moisture and water within the basement area.

In summary, it can be said that without proper waterproofing materials applied to the foundation walls and without proper drainage
installed, a building foundation will sooner or later suffer from constant belowground water pressure. This will ultimately lead to
visible signs within the basement area. Moisture, mold and dampness are all serious indicators of a foundation that is in need of
waterproofing procedures. Generally, there are two different methods of preventing water from further getting into the basement area.  

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External foundation waterproofing is often considered to be
the primary method of basement waterproofing. Unlike interior

waterproofing that is designed to redirect water that actually
enters the foundation walls, exterior waterproofing prevents
water from penetrating into the foundation by having it completely sealed with water resistant materials. 

This method requires excavation of the soil near the building
foundation in order to obtain access to the external side of the
foundation walls. The foundation walls are then thoroughly cleaned and are completely restored with hydraulic and mortar cement. Once the cement cures, the foundation is prepared to be waterproofed. Specially designed elastomeric, liquid-applied, emulsified asphalt membrane is applied onto the foundation, followed by application of a poly sheeting vapour barrier. The foundation walls are then finally sealed with a  high density polyethylene foundation wrap designed to resist water and drain it into the newly replaced plastic perforated weeping tiles. These weeping tiles, covered with filter cloth to prevent from clogging, are then connected into a separate sump pump. After these procedures have been finished, a minimum of two feet of  3/4" fine, clean gravel is placed onto the weeping tiles, thus
completely protecting it from any soil. Additionally, more filter cloth is then placed on top of the gravel to separate it from the soil. The soil is then back filled and the Exterior Waterproofing
has been finished.